This invention relates to a pallet for holding a plurality of glass plates, which may be either flat plates or curved plates, in a standing posture for storage and transfer purposes.
Usually a pallet for holding a plurality of glass plates in a standing posture and in a parallel arrangement has an upright rear frame, and a plurality of stoppers each of which has a cushioning head are attached to the rear frame so as to project toward the front side. When glass plates are stood against the rear frame the stopper heads support the rear face of the glass plate in the rearmost position. When curved glass plates are stood on the pallet such that the concave surface of each glass plate faces toward the rear frame it is necessary to suitably adjust the horizontal distance of each stopper head from the rear frame in order to keep the side edges of the glass plate in the rearmost position apart from the rear frame. If the side edges of the glass plate collide against the rear frame there is a possibility of breakage of the glass plate.
Concerning a pallet of the above described type, JP51-15714 (Utility Model) proposes to provide each of the stoppers attached to the rear frame with an auxiliary stopper which is a separate part and can be coaxially and detachably fitted on the primary stopper so as to enclose the primary stopper entirely. The auxiliary stopper is longer than the primary stopper and has a stopper head at its front end. Therefore, the auxiliary stoppers are used when it is desired to support the rear face of the glass plate in the rear-most position at a relatively long distance from the rear frame. When the relatively short length of the primary stoppers is sufficient the auxiliary stoppers are not used.
However, the auxiliary stoppers according to the above proposal are inconvenient for practical use of the pallet. When the auxiliary stoppers are not needed it is necessary to keep the auxiliary stoppers separate from the pallet. If the auxiliary stoppers are kept attached to the pallet by a provisional fastening means there is a possibility of losing the auxiliary stoppers while transferring the pallet. Furthermore, it will be necessary to prepare a plurality of auxiliary stoppers having different lengths for each of the primary stoppers.